Rub' al Khali
Rub' al Khali is one of the natural features that define the landscape of the United Arab Emirates, and it is both a conservation subject and a place…
Last reviewed 23 September 2026
Place
50 articles
Liwa Oasis
A chain of oases at the northern edge of the Rub al Khali, and the historic homeland of the Al Nahyan ruling family.
Last reviewed 23 September 2026
Jebel Jais
The highest point in the United Arab Emirates, in northern Ras Al Khaimah, with a mountain road, hiking trails and a long zipline.
Last reviewed 23 September 2026
Sir Bani Yas Island
Sir Bani Yas Island is one of the natural features that define the landscape of the United Arab Emirates, and it is both a conservation subject and a…
Last reviewed 23 September 2026
Mangroves of the UAE
Mangroves of the UAE is one of the natural features that define the landscape of the United Arab Emirates, and it is both a conservation subject and…
Last reviewed 23 September 2026
Dubai Metro
A fully automated driverless metro opened in 2009, with the longest automated network in the world.
Last reviewed 23 September 2026
Jebel Hafeet
A mountain on the Al Ain border with Oman, famous for its switchback road, its hot springs and the hundreds of Bronze Age tombs along its flanks.
Last reviewed 23 September 2026
Saadiyat Island
An island off Abu Dhabi developed as the emirate’s cultural district, with the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the Zayed National Museum.
Last reviewed 23 September 2026
Masfout
A mountainous exclave of Ajman in the Hajar foothills, known for its farms, its wadis and its rugged setting on the road toward Hatta.
Last reviewed 23 September 2026
Petra
The Nabataean city carved into the sandstone of southern Jordan, approached through a narrow gorge, and the country’s best-known monument.
Last reviewed 23 September 2026
Wadi Rum
A protected desert of sandstone and granite in southern Jordan, used for jeep tours, trekking, climbing and overnight camps.
Last reviewed 23 September 2026
The Dead Sea
The lowest point on land, a hypersaline lake on the Jordanian and Israeli borders, and the Jordanian east bank’s resort strip.
Last reviewed 23 September 2026
Jerash
One of the best-preserved Roman provincial cities in the region, about an hour north of Amman.
Last reviewed 23 September 2026
Madaba and Mount Nebo
The mosaic town south-west of Amman and the ridge above it held to be the place from which Moses saw the promised land.
Last reviewed 23 September 2026
Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant
The first nuclear power plant in the Arab world, on the Abu Dhabi coast, supplying a large share of the Emirates’ electricity.
Last reviewed 23 September 2026
Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary
A wetland reserve at the head of Dubai Creek, internationally important for wintering flamingos and migratory waders.
Last reviewed 23 September 2026
Al Wathba Wetland Reserve
A protected wetland east of Abu Dhabi city, notable for its flamingo breeding colony and for its salt-tolerant vegetation.
Last reviewed 23 September 2026
Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve
A large desert reserve in southern Dubai protecting native flora and fauna, and the site of the emirate’s camel-racing track.
Last reviewed 23 September 2026
Fossil Rock
An upturned bed of marine fossils in the desert of central Sharjah, evidence that the Arabian shelf was once under water.
Last reviewed 23 September 2026
Hajar Mountains
The mountain range running through the eastern Emirates and into Oman, source of the country’s wadis and its highest ground.
Last reviewed 23 September 2026
Jais Flight
A long zipline descending the face of Jebel Jais in Ras Al Khaimah, among the longest in the world.
Last reviewed 23 September 2026
Wadi Wurayah
A protected mountain wadi in Fujairah with permanent water, rare in the Emirates, and the country’s first national mountain park.
Last reviewed 23 September 2026
Al Sinniyah Island
An island nature reserve off the Umm Al Quwain coast, important for nesting seabirds, turtles and mangrove habitat.
Last reviewed 23 September 2026
Wadi Shees
A mountain valley in a Sharjah enclave, with terraced farms, a heritage trail and dramatic Hajar scenery.
Last reviewed 23 September 2026